Sony chairman: AI amplifies human creativity, not replaces it

Sony Group Executive Chairman Kenichiro Yoshida emphasized at the Nikkei Asia Forum APAC 2026 that artificial intelligence serves as a tool to amplify human creativity and imagination, rather than replace artists and creators. He highlighted that close human relationships remain a defining force in Asia, even as AI advances.

Sony's strategy, as detailed by President and CEO Totoki Hiroki, places human creativity at the core of AI applications. The company has invested over $50 million in AI for Sony Pictures, covering areas from production planning to content protection and 3D conversion. Sony Music is working on industry-wide standards to label AI-generated content and protect intellectual property rights.

A pilot program with Bandai Namco Holdings is exploring generative AI's use in video production, identifying significant speed and productivity gains while also highlighting current model limitations in consistency and controllability. Sony is developing fine-tuned models using proprietary data to address these issues.

At Sony Interactive Entertainment, AI is being integrated to enhance the PlayStation experience. Developers are automating repetitive tasks, improving software engineering, and accelerating 3D modeling and animation with tools like Mockingbird for facial animations. AI-driven hair animation tools are also reducing labor-intensive processes.

Furthermore, AI-powered payment routing tools have generated over $700 million in incremental revenue for PlayStation by optimizing transaction efficiency. The company is also developing machine-learning projects for personalized recommendations of games and related content. On the hardware front, PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution on the PS5 Pro utilizes machine learning to deliver enhanced 4K visuals at high frame rates.